Marco Polo: celebrated writer, merchant, explorer, liar? Italian skeptics refer to his famous travelogue, “The Travels of Marco Polo,” as Il Milione, or The Million Lies.

While fighting for his native Venice against Genoa, Polo was captured during the Battle of Curzola,  imprisoned for a year or so following his historic journey through Asia. He dictated to his cellmate thoughtful anecdotes and detailed descriptions of his time in the empire of Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis) and nearly two decades of journeys all over Asia.

Polo’s story began with his father and uncle, successful jewel merchants Niccolo and Maffeo Polo. They traveled for much of Marco’s youth, but the men came home to Venice in 1269. As soon as they returned, they began arranging their trip back to China and the court of Khan and this time, Marco was old enough to join them.

The journey back to Khan’s Empire, then the largest the world had ever seen, took the Polos four long, arduous years. They traversed the Middle East, encountering harsh landscapes bearing little to eat or drink, and enduring illness and fatigue. Marco reveled in the adventure. His writing shows his recall and memories of places and new cultures highly accurate and largely positive.

Over the next two decades, Marco immersed himself in the Chinese culture. He mastered four languages and gained the acceptance and admiration of Khan, who appreciated Marco’s skilled qualities as a merchant, as well as his love of and respect for Khan’s culture.

Throughout his stay, Marco was employed as a special envoy, governor of a Chinese city, tax inspector, and a member of Khan’s Privy Council. As such, Marco was able to travel and explore unlike any European before him, visiting the largely undiscovered countries of Burma, Tibet, and India.

In the centuries after he first set out to Asia, Marco’s legacy has inspired countless travelers and explorers, including Christopher Columbus, who brought a copy of Marco’s book on his voyage to the New World. His influence is far and wide: there is a Central Asian species of sheep named after him; Venice’s airport is called Venice Marco Polo Airport; and, for cartography geeks, the 1453 Fra Mauro map was supposedly inspired by one Marco brought back from China, then called Cathay. And let’s not forget the summertime hide-and-seek game: Marco! …Polo!